What is Normal?
by An Occasional Writer
Summary: Based on the events in "Deception." If handled differently, how would things have worked out for Cyborg and the Titans? Would he get what he wanted? And would they be able to trust him again?


Author's Note: I'll be getting back to the Up story soon, but for now, I want to try another one. I have no particular goals for this one other than I want to get something on "paper." I might even just make it into a series of oneshots. I've been a fan of Teen Titans for a while, and if there's one character I feel is underappreciated in the fandom, it's Cyborg. So, let's see what happens.

**What is "Normal?"**

He didn't care that he was doing this in full view of his friends.

He didn't care that he was practically giving in to Brother Blood's control.

He didn't even care that he was prepared to do a heel turn and betray the HIVE at the last second, before escaping with the Titans.

But he did care that the robot in front of him bore his face.

And right now, he HATED his face.

Over and over, Cyborg relentlessly pummeled his robotic copy on the floor of the HIVE's training room, his mouth clenched shut as he released a scream of pent up fury. Had the victim been the real Cyborg, it probably would've been pleading for the pain to stop, or attempting to fight back. But this version of the crime fighting hero had no human half to balance it out. Instead, it stared back at Cyborg without a shred of emotion, seemingly bored that it was being smashed to bits.

'_That's because it can't feel pain.' _Cyborg's robotic half-brain said to him calmly. '_It can't feel anything. It's a machine. Just like you.'_

'_**No**__!' _Cyborg's human half retorted desperately. '_**You're not a machine! You're human! You're Stone!'**_

'_The Stone you knew was destroyed years ago.' _The robotic half responded. '_He's no more than a memory.'_

'_**NO! Don't believe that**__!' _The human half yelled. _'__**He's not a memory! Blood can bring him back! He can bring back Stone!'**_

'_Your duty is to your team. It's your obligation to complete the mission.'_

'_**Your duty is to yourself! I need you! I want to be able to feel things again! I want to have a childhood again! I want to LIVE again!'**_

"SHUT UP!"

Those two words, choking from Cyborg's mouth in a tortuous cry, echoed around the room and lingered, as the flurry of punches gradually slowed, and the ring on his right hand shattered, revealing his true form. The Titans, still trapped within Gizmo's force field, stared on in shock. His fully robotic double sparked below him, now no more than a pile of mangled circuitry.

"_**You may be half of me,' **_Stone thought, looking down at the other Cyborg with disdain. _**'But as long as I live, I will always hate you.'**_

Growling, Cyborg turned towards his team of villains.

"I knew it," Gizmo exclaimed, waggling his finger towards the trapped Titans. "The stinking gack-bag's one of them!"

"No." Brother Blood said, lowering to the floor, a sinister smirk on his face. "He's one of us now." His eyes glowed red.

Cyborg stared back, his one human eye turning red as well. "And I'm ready to prove it."

"I had a feeling you'd say that." He held up the Amplifier to Cyborg and attached it to the ex-Titan's arm cannon. "This will amplify your power by magnitudes unimagined. Destroy them for me, and you'll have your reward."

Nodding, Cyborg turned towards the other Titans, his right eye glowing even brighter, and prepared to fire, a blast that would be damaging enough to kill the Teen Titans immediately.

'_I understand you hate me, but don't forget why you're here. Don't forget who you're fighting for.'_

'_**Shut up,'**_ Stone growled, fighting to silence his other side completely. '_**This is how it has to be.'**_

"Cyborg, no," Robin said desperately.

"Please," Starfire pleaded, eyes filling with tears.

"C'mon buddy," Beast Boy said pitifully, "We're your friends."

The only one who didn't talk was Raven. She merely stared back at Cyborg, eyes wide in fear. She couldn't believe that she was actually about to die. Not just be defeated, but actually die. And it would come at the hands of someone she trusted from the beginning, someone she had confided in, someone…

'_Wait.' _Raven paused, her brow furrowed in confusion. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she felt a lingering thread of doubt. But it wasn't coming from her. Expanding her senses outward, she quickly scanned the villains in front of her, before coming to rest on...

Cyborg! It was coming from him! But wasn't he under Blood's control? Acting fast, she tried to telepathically link with him.

'_Cyborg, can you hear me?'_

'_**Raven?' **_A voice responded, causing Raven to almost lose grip on her link. The voice she heard was similar to Cyborg, but it sounded younger, more vulnerable. '_**Is that you?'**_

'_Yes, it's me. What's going on? Are you finding a way to break the hypnosis?'_

'_He was never under any hypnosis.' _A new voice claimed, startling Raven once again. This one was closer to Cyborg's voice, but without any of the accent or emotion that she was used to. '_Half of our brain is electronic, which blocked out Blood's frequencies.'_

'_Then why aren't you attacking them instead of us?!' _Raven snapped, her voice growing in anger. _'Why are you still prepared to fire at us? Why are you…'_

'_**Because I want my life back.**_' The younger voice interrupted, shaking with suppressed emotion. Raven quickly realized that this was the human half she was speaking to. _**'Brother Blood promised he'd make me a man again. And it's not a trick, Rae, I swear. For a brief moment, I could actually feel my hand again.'**_

'_But that doesn't mean you can just turn your back on us! After all we've been through. We're your friends, Cyborg!'_

'_**I'm not Cyborg!' **_The young voice screamed inside Raven's mind, sounding close to hysteria. '_**My name is Stone! Victor Stone! That's who I was before the accident, that's who I was before I lost my mother, and that's who I want to be again!' **_

At that, Raven paused, her growing emotions vanishing in a blink, being replaced by her usual stoniness. '_And you think killing all of us will fix everything?' _

'_**I...I...I'm sorry.'**_Victor said, _**'I don't have a choice.'**_

'_You always have a choice,' Raven _said. '_That's what makes you human. And choices have consequences.'_

'_If you kill your friends, you'll be lost forever.' _Cyborg responded, causing Victor and Raven to pause, as Victor's human eye slightly faded in intensity. '_Even if you manage to resist Brother Blood with a fully organic brain, you won't be able to bring your friends back. They won't be able to be recharged, or reassembled. They'll just be gone. And that will weigh on your conscience until your dying days.'_

Victor/Cyborg gasped quietly, coming to a stop in front of his friends, still prepared to fire.

'_Your other self is right,'_ Raven agreed. '_After all you've done for us and for the city, killing us will strip you of whatever humanity remains. Even with a human body, you'll just be a husk. An empty, __**robotic**__ husk.'_

'_**But…'**_Victor stuttered, arm cannon shaking in place. '_**What can I do now? If I try to attack the HIVE with you still in that force field, I'll be outnumbered. And then we'll all be doomed.'**_

Raven considered their options for a brief moment. Of the four Titans currently trapped, none of them had enough power to break through the force field, so an offensive attack was out of the picture. And with Cyborg's arm cannon being amplified far beyond its past capabilities, they didn't have enough power to defend themselves from the blast either. The only hope was if Cyborg missed somehow.

Wait…

'_A glitch,' _Raven realized.

'_**What?'**_

'_Half of you may be human,'_ Raven continued, '_But like you said, half of you is electronic. A highly advanced electronic. A highly advanced electronic that, despite being top of the line, can be prone to the occasional __**glitch.'**_

'_**But I…wait…what does that…'**_

And suddenly, Victor/Cyborg realized what Raven meant.

'_**Got it.'**_

Strengthening his resolve and smoothing his facial muscles, he steadied his arm cannon at his "former" friends and allowed the charge to build up, a bright blue light that promised immediate destruction.

"Sorry, but I have new friends."

Behind him, his new "friends" looked on in glee, while Brother Blood gave a triumphant smirk, and the captured Titans gasped in horror.

But in the moment, no one noticed as Cyborg's arm lowered just a couple of inches, and Raven spread her arms out in preparation.

A quick beam of energy followed, and the room was engulfed in a fiery explosion that swept the HIVE team onto the floor, as Brother Blood shielded them all with his powers. The screams of horror from the Titans were instantly quieted, and as the smoke and flames vanished, Blood was pleased to see nothing more than a smoky crater. Cyborg, having been forced back slightly as well, stood up straight, all emotion drained from his face.

"It's done."

"Excellent, Cyborg!" Blood exclaimed, walking up to the robot/human hybrid and clapping a hand on his metallic shoulder. "I had my doubts about you initially, but I'm pleased to see you've done what's best for our organization. You've made us all proud."

Even though he wanted to explode in anger for the turmoil Blood had put him through, Cyborg managed to force it back and appear bashful instead. He rubbed the back of his head. "Aw, it was nothin'."

"Oh, on the contrary," Blood insisted, as his hand on Cyborg's shoulder tightened. "You've done more for the HIVE in ten minutes than the rest of my students have done in their entire lifetimes." Smirk widening, his hand began to glow.

"In fact, you've done so well, that I think you deserve your reward a little early."

"What?" Cyborg asked, turning his head towards the headmaster. "Right now? Shouldn't we…?"

But before he could even finish his question, his whole world exploded in pain. With Blood keeping a firm grip on him, Cyborg fell on one knee and dug his fingers into the floor, trying to keep the screams from escaping his mouth. It felt like his insides were being electrocuted, while also being forced to submerge in molten lava. With that came a whole set of sensations that were almost contradictory in nature. He felt like he was getting weaker, yet also stronger. Lighter, yet also heavier. The sensations traveled from his fingers all the way down to the tips of his toes.

Wait, his **toes?**

Craning his neck painfully so he could look down, Cyborg managed to catch the front of his metallic boots. Only, they weren't boots anymore. A set of brown toes was replacing it, almost as if removing it from existence. And it didn't stop there.

Skin stretched over machinery. Inside circuitry gave way to bones, blood vessels and dense muscle. Chest and leg armour melted into a tank top and a pair of boxer shorts..

Releasing his grip from the floor, Cyborg finally cracked and screamed out in overwhelming agony, clutching his head between fleshy fingers. His left eye and left ear cracked and shattered simultaneously, allowing the human versions to take their place. But the most painful part was unfortunately saved for last. The human half of his brain began to grow in size, pushing away at the robotic half before finally overtaking it and becoming whole, causing Cyborg's headpiece to crash to the floor. But not before it sent him one last simple message.

'_Don't forget me.' _

And then, just like that, it was all over. Cyborg collapsed to the floor, gasping for air, as Blood stood over him, watching with a careful eye. It was all back. His face, his body, his brain, they were all back. The unyielding floor was cold to his now human body, which to most people would be extremely uncomfortable, but not to Cyborg.

Right now, it was the most wonderful sensation he had ever felt in his life.

Blood grabbed him roughly by the shoulders and put him into a standing position, turning him around so they were facing each other. Cyborg wanted to tense up, as he now had to come up with a plan of escaping back to Titan Tower. But the feeling of Blood's fingers on his flesh was too distracting for him to focus. His lower lip trembled slightly, and he could feel the grip on his emotions begin to crack. Anything else, and he might just…

"Welcome back, Victor Stone."

There it was. His real name. His** human **name. That just made his situation all the more **real. **

Grasping Blood with a desperate forcefulness, Victor wrapped his arms around the villain and did something he hadn't done since the death of his mother.

He cried.

Author's Note: Let me know what you think! I didn't intend for this to get so dramatic, but I just couldn't help it. I'm still not sure what to do with this story, but might as well have fun with it. Enjoy!

'


End file.
